Devil is Part-Timer, Not Babysitter!
by OtakuFantasy
Summary: While fighting an angel, Maou is sent back to the past and is back in Ente Isla. He not only has to find how to get back to the present, but now he has to take on a second job he would never expect. Keeping up with a child Emi! Warning: Lots of fluff!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Hataraku Maou-sama (although I wish I did!)

**_BOOM!_**

The tall building began to crumble from the sheer power of the battle raging on above it.

"Maou, don't overdo it! You'll destroy the whole city!"

Emi fumed at her enemy, who was now currently her battle partner, as he noticed the damage he caused and frantically tried to fix it with his demonic powers.

"It's not my fault! Besides, I don't see you making any progress either!"

Maou was highly irritated as he finished repairing the last piece of the building he nearly desolated.

Maou and Emi had been trying to defeat the angel for a while now and both were frustrated because this fight seemed like it would never end. The angel they were battling was named Chronos and he had the power to manipulate time so whenever Maou or Emi would close in for an attack, Chronos would make a portal to move between the past and the present so he wouldn't get hit, thus leaving the buildings around them to take the lethal blows instead.

Typically, Maou wouldn't have the power to use this amount of strength since Earth had no magic for him to retain his demonic abilities, but due to all of the chaos, there was enough fear for him to take on his true demon form and strength.

Seeing that the building was stable again, Maou quickly scanned the area to look for his opponent again.

"Maou, we need to make a strategy. Trying to hit him with constant attacks isn't working."

"Don't you think I know that? We have to finish this battle quickly or I will be late for work!"

Emi sighed at his response. How could the Demon Lord, whose very name could strike fear in the hearts of the residents of Ente Isla, stoop so low as to only caring about working at a fast food restaurant?

"For once, could you stop thinking about work!? Never mind, we need to focus on our target."

As soon as Emi had just finished saying the words out of her mouth, Chronos appeared in a portal right behind her.

"Emi, watch out!"

"Huh!?"

Before the Hero realized what was going on, Maou had already rushed to her side and pushed her out of the way just as Chronos struck.

Emi stared with shock and confusion as she watched Maou be engulfed in a bright light, then vanish before her eyes.

Chronos cackled as he looked on the expression of her face.

"Maou!?"

* * *

Maou felt no pain as he drifted through his own consciousness.

All he remembered was being surrounded by so much light and he thought he may have heard a voice calling his name, but he wouldn't know because everything around him had faded.

His physical body seemed to as if it was being pulled along, as if his mind was no longer in control, and all he could do was just push forward.

This continued for a while until finally the sensation stopped. Having regained control of his body, Maou slowly opened his eyes to find the light that was around him had disappeared, but something wasn't right.

Maou looked at his surroundings in awe. There were no more buildings, crowds of people, or cars. Instead, there were a lot of trees and a beautiful meadow that seemed to extend far beyond what he could see. He had seen this place before, but this was impossible. How did he end up here?

Maou looked at his hands and noticed that they still had claws. He was still in his demon form. That was all he needed to reaffirm his assumption.

"How did I get back to Ente Isla?"

* * *

Emi kept slashing with her sword as Chronos dodged at every move, laughing at her failed attempts.

"What did you do with Maou!?"

"Why should you care what happens to him? Aren't the Hero and Demon Lord supposed to be sworn enemies anyway? I just helped you a little, that's all."

Chronos snickered as Emi's face became more enraged.

"That may be so, but he is _my_ enemy. If I needed any help, I would have asked!"

Emi tightened her grip on her sword and moved so fast that it nearly grazed some of Chronos hair before he could move through a portal.

"Hmm...By the look on your face, I think it's impossible to fool anyone with that excuse."

Chronos laughed as Emi gained more momentum.

* * *

"I'm back."

Maou couldn't help from thinking that this was all a dream. He first thought that Chronos might have put him under an illusion, but if that were the case, Maou could of easily detected it and break it, but he knew this was the real deal.

He analyzed the nature around him one more time and realized it was an island he had sent his army to ravage and desolate back when he had lost himself to his power hungry ways, but that all changed when he came to Earth.

If this island was ruined back when he was in control before being trapped on Earth, then this must mean that Chronos had sent him to the past. It would be the only thing Maou could think of that would fit, but he didn't know how far back in the past Chronos had sent him.

Now that he was aware of the situation, Maou knew he couldn't waste any time. He had to get back to Emi. If Chronos was difficult for both of them to handle at once, it would be nearly impossible for Emi to do defeat him on her own.

Maou tried to focus his energy to create a portal, but nothing happened. He used up too much of his strength with Chronos, it would take more time for him to refuel his energy to send himself back.

Having no other options, Maou decided to walk around and wait for his strength to return. The weather was so nice here, perfect weather for a nap. Though demons did not require sleep, he did require it while he was he had to take human form on Earth. He enjoyed it so why not take the opportunity now while he could?

Finding a shady tree, Maou sat down and began to doze off until finally he was asleep.

**_…_**

*touch*

Maou squirmed as felt a slight stroke on his single horn.

*touch* *touch* *touch*

Okay, that was enough!

Maou, annoyed that his sleep was disturbed, groggily began to open his eyes. Who would dare try to wake up the Demon Lord while he slumbered?

Moving his eyes downward, he found the source standing on his lap.

The culprit had long red hair, green eyes, and a long bit of hair that curved and stuck out at the top of her head.

Maou was familiar with this face. It was the only person who was not afraid of his power. The only person who had been brave enough to challenge him head on and almost win the fight. The one who made him run and end up on Earth and even chased him there.

"Emi!?"

His eyes opened wider as he realized that it was not only Emi, there was also something else different about her. She was a child.

Author's Note: Okay, so I have wanted to do this story for a while, but because of school work it took a long time before I could finally get to it! I don't know how long I will continue this story, but really wanted to start another one because there isn't enough fics about this awesome otp lol. Hope you enjoy :)


	2. Chapter 2

"Come out coward!"

Emi huffed as she searched the sky all around her. She had been attacking Chronos for a while now without even leaving a single hit.

Her chest felt tight. Emi knew she shouldn't have used a lot of her energy all at one time, but at the moment, she couldn't keep a cool head.

_"__What's wrong with me?"_

Emi was always calm and collected when it came to fights, but there was something keeping her from focusing. Not just something, but _someone_.

She quickly snapped away from her thoughts. She was the Hero and he was the Demon Lord, her sworn enemy, so there was no reason to be concerned about him and yet his picture kept coming into her mind.

"Maou, where are you?"

Emi barely whispered the words as Chronos finally appeared again.

* * *

Maou had only got to stare at the girl for a brief moment.

Although he had said her name, it must have been too low for her to hear or she was too scared to care because as soon as she noticed him looking at her, she had screamed.

Before Maou could do anything about it though, the smaller Emi had already ran and hid herself behind the other side of the tree.

Maou stood up and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"You know I can see you, right?"

The little Emi pressed her face against the trunk and hugged the tree even tighter as she quickly scooted around the opposite side to avoid Maou's gaze.

Maou sweat dropped as he watched. Obviously this wasn't getting anywhere so maybe he should use a different approach? Maou pondered for a moment and thought about how he would treat the customer's children at work.

Kneeling down, Maou closed his eyes and plastered on his famous courteous smile.

"Hey there, you don't have to hide. Come on out, I won't hurt…."

**_Thwack!_**

Before Maou got to finish his sentence, he had gotten hit in the face by a rock.

The corners of Maou's mouth began to twitch.

"As I was saying, I'm not going to do anything so let's not throw…"

**_Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!_**

That was the last straw.

Having a smirk on his face, Maou instantly got up and reached the small Emi so fast that before she could make a run for it, he had already grabbed her by the shirt collar and hoisted her up so that she was now eye level with him.

"Was that really necessary!? I told you I wasn't…"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

She screamed really loud and kept trying to squirm out of his grasp with no success. There was no way her puny strength could escape from his demonic grip.

"Oi brat, would you just listen already!"

The girl continued to ignore him by making more feeble attempts to get free until she finally pointed at him and shouted.

"You're supposed to be dead!"

"Huh?"

Maou blinked at her with a confused face.

"Do I look dead to you, kid!?"

"You weren't breathing when I found you a while ago and your eyes were closed!"

Maou stared at her quizzically for a moment and then realized why she must have thought that. High-ranking demons, such as him, did not require breathing like humans or lower demons did because they are able to convert magic into life energy. Since Enta Isla had plenty of magic and he was currently in his demonic form, it was only natural for him not to do it. He had almost forgotten.

"Well clearly, I'm alive."

Just as Maou had finished saying the words, Emi head-butted him on his forehead and he dropped her.

"What was that for!?"

Just as he was about to scold her more, he noticed that she wasn't in the spot where she was supposed to have landed.

Looking ahead, he caught a glimpse of her already running through the trees to head deeper into the forest.

_"__So, that's how you want to play, huh?"_

Maou sighed. He knew he should just walk away and leave the situation alone, but he was getting a bad feeling inside of his chest.

The Emi he knew always had a brave face, ready to take on any challenge. Even when they had first met and fought, she showed no fear in her eyes though she was facing one of the most powerful demons alive and stood her ground, almost defeating him. Those eyes were fearless and filled with determination, but this Emi's eyes were timid and full of terror. He didn't like it.

Although he understood she was only a child, he couldn't stand the way she had looked at him. He didn't want it to remain this way.

Tightening his hands into fists, Maou went into the forest to follow her.

* * *

"Is that all you got?"

Chronos mocked Emi as she continually missed him with each swipe.

He noticed that her movements had become slower and she was breathing hard.

Emi swiped her forehead.

"I'm just warming up."

"Oh, is that it? It looks like you're more washed up to me with those sluggish moves."

Emi bit her lip. Although she hated to admit it, she knew he was right.

Since coming to Earth, her powers were also limited, still unknown to Maou. In fact, the only way she was able to keep her holy energy up was by drinking Holy Vita β to replenish her powers. Luckily, she had one can with her just in case, but she didn't want to use it until the moment was right. She would just have to keep fighting for now.

Emi points her sword toward Chronos.

"This battle isn't finished yet."

* * *

Maou had walked through the forest for a while until he finally found her.

She was standing in a small clearing with a tree in the center.

Her back was turned so Maou hid behind one of the trees at the edge of the clearing in order for him to stay unseen.

Taking a quick peek, Maou noticed she was still standing in the same spot, looking up at the tree in front of her. Following her gaze, Maou also looked up to see what she was staring at.

_Oh!_

Dangling from the tree above her was a bunch of bright red apples. She must have wanted one.

Taking his gaze away from the tree, Maou saw that the child Emi finally began to move.

Standing on a stone nearby to give her more height, Emi began jumping up to try to reach one of the apples on the lowest branch. Maou watched her as she attempted to get one, but failed each time.

Maou chuckled to himself.

Emi didn't come close to reaching any of the apples. She was too small, but she kept trying anyway even though there was no possibility she could get one on her own.

After many tries, Emi finally gave up that method and then began to try climbing the tree.

She would get somewhat up the tree, but then she would end up falling down every time. Seeing her try for a fourth time, Maou decided he could not just sit back and watch any longer.

Reaching her in a moment, Maou stood behind the girl and picked her up, placing her legs in between his head so that she was now sitting on his shoulders.

It all happened so fast that it took a minute before Emi realized what happened.

Screaming, Emi balled her hands into tiny fists and began to hit Maou's head.

"Let me go, let me go!"

"Nope."

Emi began to struggle even harder.

"Look, I'm just trying to help you."

"Daddy said demons are bad! They hurt people!"

"Does it look like I'm trying to hurt you!?"

Realizing that her hits were not fazing Maou in any way, she finally gave up.

Maou changed his voice to a gentler tone.

"If I really wanted to hurt you, don't you think I could have done that already? Besides you want an apple, right?"

Hesitant, Emi nodded her head without any other response.

Sighing from relief, Maou had a small smile.

"Okay, let's get one."

The tree wasn't too big and being in his demon form, Maou was really tall so reaching a branch was no difficulty for him.

Emi eyes widened and sparkled as she looked at all the apples she was now able to reach. After looking down at Maou to make sure he wasn't planning anything suspicious, Emi stretched out her arms and grabbed 3 or 4 apples.

Feeling that she felt satisfied with her pickings, Maou carefully took her off his shoulders and set her on the ground.

Maou looked down at her and tried to suppress a laugh when he saw her expression.

She was smiling really big as she examined all the apples she got. Emi rubbed each one and kept shifting her eyes back and forth among them as if she couldn't decide which one she wanted to eat first.

After finally choosing one to eat, Emi started to munch on it with pure bliss. Maou noticed that some of the skin of the apple was left at the corner of her mouth.

As if his movements were automatic, Maou crouched down with his arm was already moving to remove it.

His hand was only inches from her face until Emi saw what he was doing.

Closing her eyes, she began to tremble.

Maou's hand froze. She was scared.

The pain that filled Maou's chest began to well up inside again. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

Removing his hand away from her, Maou got to his feet, solemn. He then placed his hand over his face so that it was covered.

"Sorry, this face is scary right? I'll leave so you won't have to be afraid anymore."

Turning around, Maou slowly began to walk away.

The girl watched him with curious eyes as he went and looked down at her apples.

Maou felt so stupid. Even though this child was definitely Emi, it was crazy of him to think that she would be exactly the same. She was still too young; of course she would be scared of a demon like him.

As these thoughts jabbed him, Maou had almost reached the edge of the clearing until he felt a tiny hand tug his pants.

Maou looked down and was surprised to see big green eyes staring up at him.

When their eyes met, she had looked away for a moment and then she slowly lifted her gaze back up again. Taking her other hand from behind her back, she lifted it up so he could see the object in it. It was an apple.

Maou stared at her with amazement. Was she offering him the apple?

Before he could ask, she had already started speaking.

"Will you play with me?"

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long for the update! Finals kept me busy, but since school is out now, I'm going to try to make my updates a little faster. Thanks to everybody for the comments and I hope you liked this chapter! :)


	3. Chapter 3

_Huh?_

Maou looked below at the girl before him speechless. Was he hearing things? He glanced at her eyes for reassurance and found they were expectant, waiting for his answer. The only problem was Maou didn't have an answer.

Although he had been determined to make Emi unafraid of him, Maou hadn't thought about what to afterward if he got to that point. He scratched the back of his head.

"Um, well…"

The tiny fist that partially held his pants tightened as he was interrupted.

"Please don't say no! Papa works in the fields most of the day and I feel so lonely…"

The younger Emi's expression looked downcast for a moment, but then swiftly changed to hope as she balled her little hands into fists and gazed up at him with sparkles in her eyes.

"So, please play with me Mr. Demon!"

Maou was amused by her overexcitement. He knew that he shouldn't get too involved and get back to his own time, but seeing how his energy was still not fully restored, what the heck? It would be hard to say no to a face that eager anyway.

"Okay, I'll play with you, but on one condition."

Emi's enthusiasm was quickly replaced with confusion.

"What is it?"

"Don't call me Mr. Demon."

* * *

Emi slumped to her knees as she landed on a nearby rooftop.

_How long is this battle going to continue?_

Gritting her teeth, Emi cautiously glanced sideways to her right and to her left. Seeing that Chronos was no longer in sight, she quickly hid herself behind a large statue that was conveniently placed on the roof.

Closing her eyes, Emi sighed as she tried to force herself to get a little rest.

No matter how hard she tried, Emi still hadn't managed to defeat Chronos. His movements were so quick and he had already hit her with attacks numerous times.

Emi winced from the pain of her wounds. How could she, the Hero, be such a failure?

A Hero's responsibility was supposed to be strong in order to protect people and yet she couldn't even defeat a cowardly angel whose main method of fighting was to run away and attack by sneaking up from behind. The thought disgusted her.

For the very first time in her life since becoming the Hero, Emi felt helpless. What was she going to do or was there even anything she could do…

An image suddenly flashed in her head.

_Maou._

Emi quickly shook her head to try to get him out, but his face remained plastered there in perfect detail.

He was in his human form, wearing his signature red MgRonald's cap while doing a goofy smile. His red eyes looked so warm and bright that it seemed like he was staring straight into her soul…until he suddenly began to change.

There was no longer an MgRonald's cap on his head, but a pair of horns. The smile he had was now replaced with a deep frown and his red eyes which had held so much warmth a moment ago were now icy cold and glaring at her. She was staring at the face of Maou, the Demon Lord.

Emi's heart tightened. Why did the picture in her mind turn to this?

She was about to try to erase it until she saw Maou's lips begin to move.

**_"_****_Emilia, I am very disappointed."_**

His dark voice rang deeply through her head as he continued.

**"****_To think that the Hero is actually cowering in fear."_**

Anger began to well up inside Emi as she mentally shouted.

_"__I am not afraid! It's just I don't know how…"_

**_"_****_Then why do you doubt!?"_**

Emi froze at his words. Although she was putting up a fight, she knew she wasn't battling with her best ability either. She was exhausted and had no idea what else she could do to turn the situation around. Maybe she was scared?

Deep within her heart, Emi knew her fear was not of Chronos, but that she wouldn't be able to protect those around her. That she wouldn't be able to protect _him._ She was afraid of failing as the Hero.

Emi remained silent as Maou began to speak again.

**_"_****_You are Emilia, the Hero. The only one who was able to defeat me and you dare to even think about giving up? Are you the same person or have I mistaken you for someone else!?"_**

His voice sounded almost as acidic as his words.

Emi clenched her fists. She really felt like being angry, but she knew he was right. This was no time to sit here, feeling uncertain about herself because she didn't know what to do. If she couldn't find the answer, she would just have to create one herself!

Her mental voice began it rise in retaliation.

_"__I am she! The one who isn't afraid of you and the one who will win this fight!"_

The frown on Maou's face turned into a smirk as his eyes looked at her amusingly. His image was starting to fade away, but before he completely disappeared, Emi heard a faint whisper.

**_ "_****_Then don't make me ever regret losing to you."_**

Emi quickly opened her eyes. Had she been sleeping?

Though she knew it must have been a dream, it had felt all too real to her. Since when did she make Maou her conscious?

She evaded her thoughts so she wouldn't think about it any longer. Now was not the time for that. Filled with a new determination, she began to think about her next move.

Emi knew there had to be something she could do to turn this battle around. There just had to be. There is always a way…

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

Reaching into her pocket, Emi pulled out last Holy Vita β as the corners of her mouth began to go upwards.

She had a plan.

* * *

As if those words were a trigger, Emi's face lit up with a new realization.

"Oh, that's right! Since we're playmates now, we should know each other's name. Mine is Emilia."

Looking at her hands, Emi began to count out her fingers and held them up.

"It has 6 letters!"

Emi looked triumphant. Apparently knowing how many letters your name had was a big deal.

"Now, it's your turn! What is your name Mr.D-…I mean what is your name?"

"My name is M-"

He stopped midsentence.

If Emi was a child in this time period, that means that his conquest of Ente Isla had already begun on the other islands. His name was already well known amongst the humans by now, so using it would probably not be the best idea.

"Sadao. My name is Sadao."

Emi stuttered as she began to sound it out.

"S-Sadao.."

One of the corners of Maou's mouth started to move up. Who would think that his arch nemesis could actually be kinda cute?

"That's a weird name."

Okay, maybe she is **_not_** thatcute after all.

Maou's mouth began to twitch, but subsided as she spoke again.

"Now that we know each other's name, let's start playing!"

Is playing all this kid ever thought about?

"Fine, what do you want to play?"

"Tag!"

Maou raised his eyebrow. He was not familiar with human children games.

Seeing his expression, Emi noticed that he had no idea also.

"Don't tell me you've never played tag before!?"

"No, demons don't play games."

"Really!? Not even with your parents!?"

"I don't have parents, at least not anymore."

"Oh…"

Emi's face saddened. Was she actually concerned about him not having any parents?

Way before Maou had become the Demon Lord, he had only been a mere goblin child of a low demon class. At the time, a stronger demon had attacked the tribe, killing his parents. Though he had seen their dying figures, he had not shed a tear. Unlike humans, demons never shared close bonds with one another; it was either be strong to conquer the weak or do everything you could to survive. Relationships could be a hindrance, even if it was your own blood.

Kneeling down so he could be more at her level, Maou reached down and placed Emi's face between his hands. She had been looking at the ground disheartened so she didn't notice what he was doing until he suddenly lifted her face upwards so she could look at him. Even though Maou was on his knees, he was still much larger than her.

"What kind of face is that? It doesn't suit you."

"B-but Sadao doesn't have any parents. It's so sad…"

Her voice became muffled as Maou gently grabbed her cheeks and began to stretch her face.

"Who told you to worry about me? Besides, being sad isn't going to change anything. If you want to make someone happy, smile would ya."

"Ow, ow, ow! Stop, it hurts!"

Finally letting go, Maou watched as Emi started to rub her cheeks.

"Feeling better now?"

Emi shot him a quick glare, but then to his surprise, started to laugh.

"Sadao is a weird demon after all."

Again, definitely **_not _**cute.

Emi's laughter cut short as she remembered something.

"Oh yeah! Since Sadao hasn't played tag before, I will tell you how! One person is "it" and chases after the other person who runs. If the person who is "it" touches the person they are chasing, then he or she will become the new chaser and do the tagging. Got it?"

"Is that it?"

"Yep!"

Emi's mouth formed a huge smile. The game sounded simple to Maou, but he recalled seeing it played before by a group of children in the park on his way home to work one evening. He didn't really understand what they were doing then, but he guessed human children must like these odd types of games.

"I'll be "it" first since this is Sadao's first time!"

"Um..sure."

"Good! Let's start in 3, 2, 1.."

"Wait, huh?"

Before he could say anything else, Emi had already touched him.

"Tag you're it!"

Giggling, Emi had already started running away in the opposite direction. She looked back and shouted.

"Do you see how it works now Sadao?"

Maou stood there dumbfounded. So that's how she wanted to play?

Slightly curving his lips upward, he vanished from the spot he had occupied in a flash and was stood only a few inches above where Emi was heading. Quickly kneeling down, he carefully poked a claw to Emi's forehead before she crashed into him, stopping her in her tracks.

He looked down at her with a defiant grin.

"Like this?"

Emi's face puffed up.

"Sadao is a bully!"

Maou chuckled softly at her words.

"I was just playing by the rules, speaking of which, I think that would make you "it," right?"

Emi blinked for a moment and finally realized she was in tagging distance.

Moving her small arms as fast as she could, Emi tried to reach Maou, but ended up grabbing thin air instead. He had already moved.

Twisting her head to the side, Emi saw that he was now a few feet away from her with an amused look on his face.

Emi stared at him for a moment and then looked at the place where he had been in front of her only moments ago. She continued this pattern of looking back and forth until she finally decided to stand up and charge at him.

By the time she reached him, he had already moved again. Swiftly turning her head around, she caught sight of him again and started to head toward that direction. He stood there without budging an inch and Emi already had her hand out just centimeters to tag him, but he simply moved again before she could touch him.

This routine went on for a while until Maou decided it would probably be a good time to stop toying with her and let her get him. Although Emi put forth a good effort, there was just no way those small legs could catch up with his demonic speed.

Standing completely still, Maou waited patiently for Emi to tag him. The only problem was, she was nowhere in sight.

Maou started to have a bad feeling. Although when he had escaped her the last time, he traveled a little bit farther than the other times, it shouldn't have taken her too long to get here. He had been going the same direction for a while so she should know where to go, right?

He waited a few more minutes, but there was still no Emi.

Sighing, Maou finally went to look for her in case she did end up going the opposite way. Retracing his steps, he searched where they had been, but didn't find her. Their little game had spread out through a good portion of the forest so maybe they had just missed each other?

Weaving his way through the trees, Maou eventually came to a different clearing.

It was pretty much empty except for a huge rock near at the farther side. He was about to leave and go look somewhere else when suddenly he caught sight of something red standing on top of the edge of the rock.

Maou's heart froze. He could recognize that red hair anywhere.

"Emilia!"

Hearing her name, the small girl turned her head toward where it was being called, but at that instant, the piece of the edge she was standing on began to crumble. Maou saw the flash of red falling toward the ground.

Running in a blink of an eye, Maou stood below and caught her just in time.

Gazing at the tiny girl in his arms, he quickly checked to make sure she was alright. She had a few scratches, but she would be fine.

Relief washed over him. That was a close one.

Emi didn't stir for a few moments, but Maou noticed she was beginning to move. She opened her eyes slightly and moved curled one of her small fingers around Maou's claw. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"You're it."

_What? _

Maou stared at the girl with disbelief.

"Emilia, did you do this on purpose!?"

Emi lifted her gaze, her eyes full of guilt.

"I tried to catch Sadao, but he was just too fast! I thought that if I could get him by surprise, I could tag him, but there was no good hiding place. I found this rock and thought that if I stayed on top, I could jump down and do a sneak attack…but I didn't plan on falling, it just happened!"

"But you still risked your life anyway!?"

Emi winced at the harshness of his tone.

"No, I wasn't trying to!"

His face darkened. The rock she had fallen off of was a fairly good height; someone Emi's size would most definitely be gravely injured or dead if they had fallen off from it. If he hadn't of gotten here in time, she might have lost her life all because of a silly game.

Maou's grip on her tightened as he raised his voice.

"It doesn't matter if you were "trying to" or not. You could have died! What were you thinking!? How reckless!"

Maou's eyes sharpened, but soon turned wide from what they saw.

Tears were rolling down Emi's face. Maou tried to wipe one away, but she quickly pushed his hands away and squeezed out his arms, landing on the ground. Steadying herself as she got up, Emi turned around and looked at him with a sorrowful expression.

"Sadao is an idiot!"

After saying those 4 words, she ran into the forest.

What had he done?

Maou stared at the spot where she had left. He mentally kicked himself.

What was he thinking? This Emi was just a child, of course she wouldn't use better judgment, but when he had heard that she was the one who willingly put her life in potential danger, anger boiled up in him.

The one he was angry at wasn't her, it was himself. He was mad because his teasing was what caused her to do it in the first place. Mad because he was almost too late. Mad because he could have lost_ her_.

Maou glanced at his claws and clenched them together. He knew he was angry at himself, but he had taken it out on her instead.

Feeling that his head got a little wet, Maou looked up at the sky and noticed that it was now gray. It was about to rain. How ironic.

Moving his gaze back toward the forest, Maou began walking toward it. He had to find her.

* * *

The younger Emi ran aimlessly through the trees as she rapidly wiped tears from her eyes.

_Sadao was being mean!_

After running a little farther, she decided she should be far enough and stopped to catch her breath.

She didn't understand why Sadao was so mad. It's not like she had asked the rock to break so she would fall! Emi brushed off the last of her tears.

All she had wanted to do was to catch him. At first she had just wanted to prove to him that she could win, but after seeing that she was unable to get him no matter how hard she tried, a new fear crept up inside of her. For some reason, she felt that if she didn't get him in time he would disappear, leaving her all alone just because she couldn't catch up. She didn't want that, she wanted him to stay…but now she had made him angry at her.

Emi suppressed new tears from forming as she remembered how he looked at her. When he had helped her earlier today at the apple tree, his eyes were so gentle and he seemed very sad when she was afraid of him. He didn't seem like the scary demon her Papa had told her and something inside her told her that she could trust him. She didn't understand why, but she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

Though his eyes had seemed to be angry just a few moments ago, Emi felt something was off about them. Like there was another emotion hidden behind them. Worry.

That's when is dawned on her. Sadao had only been concerned about her and yet she pushed him away and called him an idiot.

Emi had to make things right. Twisting her body around, she was about to go back when suddenly rain started to pour down. Her eyes squinted in an attempt to see through it, but there was just so much of it.

Unable to make sure if she was heading in the right way, she chose to continue walking, hoping she would find him anyway.

She had traveled a good piece until she heard a loud noise. Emi trembled as she saw a big flash of lightning across the sky. She was scared of storms.

Panicking, Emi ran away from that direction and decided to take another, but the lightning kept getting worse. She steered herself as if to escape the storm around her and went back and forth in all kinds of paths, which caused to her end up going in circles.

Realizing that her she couldn't get away, Emi went to a nearby tree and placed her hands on the trunk as if it could give her support. Burying her face in it, she shielded her eyes from the storm around her.

Emi knew she must be lost, there was no telling where she could be since the rain was hard and she went in too many different directions. How was she going to find him now?

A deep pain began growing inside her. What if he had already left? After the way she acted, he probably wouldn't want to play with her again; he had every reason not to.

Her voice cracked as she yelled.

"Sadao!"

Instantly the rain that had been hitting Emi stopped and the space above her became dark.

Lifting her head, Emi's gaze was met with a pair of deep red ones that were staring down at her. Maou had his head against the tree to where the droplets wouldn't hit her, drenching him instead.

"You know you didn't have to yell so loudly. I can hear just fine."

"Sadao is going to get wet!"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm already wet, so don't worry about it."

"B-but…"

Emi tried to gather her words.

"I said mean things to Sadao when he was only worried about me. I shouldn't of have done it, but Sadao would always get away. I was scared that I couldn't reach you, that I would be alone to play again."

She turned herself around and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry Sadao!"

Maou's eyes widened as she finished. She was blaming herself?

His gaze was hidden behind his hair as he scooped the small girl up in his arms. He held her tightly to his chest, but not too strong so he wouldn't unintentionally harm her.

"I also said some things that hurt you, I'm sorry for making you feel alone. You won't have to afraid about that again. I'm right here."

Even when soaked wet, Emi still managed to smile.

A crack of lightning flashed and the thunder that surrounded them grew even louder.

Emi slightly shook as she closed her eyes and covered her ears.

"You don't like storms, huh? Let's find some shelter."

Still carrying her in his arms, Maou continued searching until he finally came upon a cave. Luckily it was just the right size for his tall demon form to stand in. Checking the girl he was holding, he noticed that her eyes were beginning to droop. She was sleepy.

_How does she expect to sleep with all this noise?_

Maou silently pondered this to himself until his thoughts were interrupted by a soft whisper below.

"Sadao?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I forgot to say it earlier today, but thank you for the apples."

Maou was about to reply, but she had already fallen asleep.

Sighing to himself, he waited for the storm to be over.

Author's Note: I am so sorry about how long it took to update! This chapter was really supposed to be up 2 weeks ago, but then I had computer and internet issues for a while and had to go back to re-type and edit things. ;_; Anyways, thank you for reading and leaving comments, they really mean a lot! If you have any ideas, critiques, etc. please feel free to leave any, hope you enjoy this chapter! :) (It's a little longer than the other two)


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